Listen back to features and interviews from 95bFM's daily news and current affairs show. Joel Armstrong, Sara Mckoy, Max Micheel, and Caeden Tipler focus on the issues of Tāmaki Makaurau and elsewhere in independent-thinking bFM style. Monday-Thursday 12-1pm on 95bFM.
Prostate cancer is one of the biggest killers of men in New Zealand, a deadly disease that affects 1 in 8 Kiwi men. To raise funds for research and provide support for people impacted by this disease, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Aotearoa has announced the fifth running of Pedal4Prostate, a cycling fundraiser. This event will be held at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on March 13, 2022.
Christina spoke to Prostate Cancer Foundation CEO Peter Dickens about the event, and the work the foundation does to support those affected by prostate cancer.
Today on the Tuesday Wire, Emily Bell discusses Aotearoa moving to the new traffic light system on December 2nd at 11:59pm with University of Canterbury professor and Covid-19 modeller Michael Plank.
Jemima Huston speaks to Deborah Hart from ASH New Zealand about the new Smokefree 2025 laws being put in place this week to protect children from smoking inside cars.
Tuva’a Clifton catches up with the latest news from Waiheke Island's Pūtiki Bay and the building of the Kennedy Point marina.
Emily interviews the Executive Head of the New Zealand Drug Foundation Sarah Helm about the increase of homelessness and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD and what can be done to improve it.
Finally, this month is Movember! Jemima talks to Robert Dunne, the Country Manager for Movember New Zealand, about the charity and how it works to support and fundraise for men's health.
The construction of the Kennedy Point Marina at Pūtiki Bay on Waiheke Island has been a point of contention for iwi, local residents and environmental groups for some time. 95bFM reporter Tuva'a Clifton spoke with Naawie Tutugoro of Protect Pūtiki and Kitt Littlejohn from Kennedy Point Boatharbour Limited for an update about what each side has been up to during the Delta outbreak and lockdown. Tuva'a also followed up with Emily Maia of Protect Pūtiki to respond to some of Kitt Littlejohns comments.
This week new Smokefree 2025 law will take effect. The law aims to protect children under the age of 18 by banning smoking and vaping inside cars either moving or parked. This latest move is part of the government’s commitment to ensuring that by 2025 fewer than 5% of New Zealanders will be smokers or what is more commonly known as Aotearoa's Smokefree 2025 goal.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to ASH New Zealand Director Deborah Hart about the new law. They discuss the how the law came to be, why the inclusion of vaping in the ban is confusing, and whether the Smokefree 2025 goal is realistic.
ASH NZ is the leading independent smokefree campaign organisation in New Zealand whose work in supporting policy makers and leading a social campaign aims to reach the Smokefree 2025 goal.
This month is Movember! Movember is a charity and mens health organisation that encourages people to fundraise for men’s health issues, such as mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer, during the month of November.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to Robert Dunne, the Country Manager for Movember New Zealand, about the Movember charity, what initiatives have taken place this month to fundraise for men’s health and how people can get involved.
If you are interested in getting involved in Movember or donating please head to nz.movember.com.
Recent research suggests that the Transeurasian language family originate from Chinese millet farmers 9,000 years ago. This goes against common views that these languages developed independently, which has been used to promote unique national and cultural identities.
Louis spoke to the lead author of this research, Dr. Martine Robbeets, who is a comparative linguist at the University of Mainz and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Social Sciences. They talked about the origin and spread of these languages, as well as how they impact nationalistic arguments.
A new Marine Mammal Sanctuary in Te Pēiwhairangi/Bay of Islands has been approved to go ahead. Kiri Allan, Minister for Conservation, spoke with Charlie about the restrictions for boats and citizens in the area that the sanctuary will bring. She further discussed how the restrictions were made with local hapū, and what the public can do to protect marine mamals over the summer.
Last week, the New Zealand Police published their annual report which included statistics of family violence. Every four minutes, a report of family violence is made, with this number expected to increase to every two and a half minutes by 2025. Shine's Policy Advisor, Holly Carrington, spoke with Charlie about why New Zealand is still continually seeing an increase in family violence, and what you can do to help vulnerable victims.
Louis spoke to comparative linguist Dr. Martine Robbeets about the origins of Transeurasian languages and DOC's Aaron Flemming about progress on the Hump Ridge Track.
Charlie talked with Shine's Holly Carrington about family violence in light of a new report and the Minister for Conservation, Kiri Allen, about the new marine mammal sanctuary in the Bay of Islands.
Finally, Christina was joined by Glenda Fryer, as she finished her six-week segment with the Waitemata Local Board.
The Hump Ridge Track was announced as New Zealand's newest great walk in 2019. But before the track can be opened as a great walk, there are a range of changes and improvements that are being made.
Louis spoke with DOC's South Island Director Aaron Flemming about current progress, what the track is like, and the history of the area.
From Dec 27 to Jan 18, all train lines across Tāmaki will be shutting down for summer maintenance, a closure which is expected to be the last of its kind ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link.
The current measles outbreak in Tāmaki is being continually monitored, with exposure sites being updated daily on info.health.nz. The public are encouraged to track whether they’ve been in possible contact with the virus, and get up to date on any vaccinations to limit possibilities of transmission.
Auckland Council are supporting arts initiatives across the summer months, with Music in the Park kicking off in early January, and Movies in the Park following in February.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Julie Fairey about these topics, and also asked for comment following the attack by two gunmen at Bondi Beach earlier this week.
Yesterday, the latest six-monthly survey of housing support providers under the National Homelessness Data Project, or NHDP, showed that homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September. The report also found that 14 of the 21 agencies interviewed reported an increase in homelessness.
As well as this, Australia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has taken effect. And according to an interim report into social media harm, a social media ban for children in New Zealand is worth exploring further.
And last week the Government announced the replacement of the Resource Management Act, or RMA. The coalition said its replacement will slash red tape and supercharge growth.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the Government’s new RMA reforms and a potential social media ban in New Zealand.
But first they discussed the latest report on Auckland homelessness.
The Parliament’s Workforce and Education Committee has released an interim report on an inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders face online. The government has recently announced an overhaul of the Resource Management Act and introduced two new bills in its place, the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.
For our weekly catch-up with the National Party, Producer Vihan spoke to MP Carl Bates, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Workforce and Education Committee, about the new findings of the interim report, the new Natural Environment Bill, and the Fast Track Approval Amendments Bill.
The government has announced the overhaul of the Resource Management Act (RMA), which will be replaced by two different bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. The RMA is set to be fully replaced by 2029.
The RMA, which has been in effect for 34 years, is polarising across the political spectrum.
In announcing the reforms, RMA Reform Minister, Chris Bishop, says that “pretty much everything” will be quicker and less costly under the new regime.
For our weekly catch-up with the ACT Party, News and Editorial Director and Monday Wire Host Joel spoke to MP Simon Court about this overhaul of the RMA.
They also discussed The Education and Workforce Committee’s interim report on the harms young people experience online, with a majority recommending a ban on social media for under-16-year-olds.
But first, they discussed the overhaul of the RMA.
On Sunday, “Block the Ban” held a protest against the government’s decision to ban new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria.
The United Nations’ committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination has released a report warning that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights.
And last week, the government rejected the recommended methane emissions targets.
This is despite officials warning against the government doing so, stating that lowering methane emissions targets could increase New Zealand’s contribution to global warming.
For our weekly catch-up with the Labour Party, Wire Host Caeden spoke to Shanan Halbert about all of these topics.
Safety measures on public transport are of growing concern this week following the fatal and unprovoked attack that took place on route 76 in East Tāmkaki on Monday night.
Earlier this week there were also multiple critical incidents that occurred simultaneously across Auckland’s West Coast beaches and waterways, seeing an unusually high deployment of emergency services and surf lifesavers for this early in the summer.
Swedish home and furniture retailer Ikea opened in Sylvia Park a week ago today, drawing huge excitement for many.
Producer Jasmine Gray spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about these topics.
Last week was scrutiny week, where Parliament focuses entirely on holding government agencies and ministers to account, to check-in on how well the Government is performing.
Many of the questions surrounding scrutiny week have been focused on climate change, with many recent reports highlighting the Government’s questionable decision-making.. The biggest headline was that the coalition had chosen to reject all three of the climate change commission’s recommendations to strengthen New Zealand’s emissions targets.
Along with this, the United Nations released a new report, where they’ve warned that New Zealand is at serious risk of weakening Māori rights and entrenching disparities for the indigenous population. In the 14-page report, the UN expressed concerns over multiple government policies affecting Maori, including the disestablishment of the Maori Health Authority, cuts to public funding for Maori services, and minimising the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
For our weekly catchup with the Green Party, Wednesday Wire Host Max spoke to MP Ricardo Menendez March about the report released by the United Nations, but first they discussed Scrutiny Week and the Government’s recent climate change decisions.
The government is pausing the new prescriptions of Puberty Blockers to gender diverse and transgender young people from the 19th of December onwards, following a similar move by the UK after the results of the NHS’s Cass Review.
Wire Producer Flo spoke to activist Lauren Craig about the effects of the legislation, her petition “Reverse the decision to deny transgender and takatāpui young people access to puberty blockers” against the changes and the wider political motivation for the policy.
If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here
The biannual Scrutiny Week took place in Parliament last week, with meetings across select committees and government departments focussed on scrutinising the outcomes of government work.
These include hearings on ministries like Health, Housing, Environment and Justice.
Wire Host Sara spoke to National MP Carl Bates about Scrutiny Week, firstly by asking him to talk about the meetings he was involved in
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